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Virtual Think Tank: Shaping AI and Augmented Cognition in the USAF of 2030

by Jeff Krichmar

Dear Colleagues, Help us catalyze and shape future major science investments of the DOD and beyond. We have been tasked to prepare a report for the USAF leadership on how AI and Augmented Cognition should factor into USAF investments with a time horizon of a decade plus (2030). Because advances in the various relevant disciplines and technologies are occurring in a non-linear fashion, preparing such a report is extremely challenging. Without question, how the USAF operates across space, air, land and cyber will all be profoundly affected. In addition, the question of strategic surprise must be considered because other nations are investing heavily in these domains currently and where the paradigm breaking advances will occur is not readily predictable. Our goal is to have a draft report ready by June 30 and to that effect, we are convening a number of events (both face-to-face and on-line) and activities to gain input from community members. Useful input will come from across the intellectual waterfront, not just the AI, Cognitive Science and Computer Science communities. We are particularly interested in the ethical, legal and social issues associated with how AI and Augmented Cognition will play out in the US Air Force milieu. The primary objective of the effort is to illuminate the 2030 technology horizon for AI in the USAF context. A secondary objective is to facilitate the building of a community of USAF aligned experts who can provide continuing advice to the USAF as an external advisory board (akin to the Jasons). The final objective is to facilitate the discussions necessary to build a pipeline of technological expertise in AI to avoid or respond to strategic surprise in this area. If you’d like to get involved, please use this link: https://goo.gl/CkntHq to complete a 1-minute application. Once part of the team, you’ll be able to get more information about: 1. The asynchronous online activities, between April 10-27. 2. The three online MicroLabs (interactive online events) on April 30, May 1 and May 2. 3. The face-to-face IdeasLab workshop on May 7 - May 11. 4. The virtual components of the IdeasLab (between May 7 - May 11) for those that can?t join us in person. 5. Theˇpost-workshop review activities of the draft report between May 11 and June 8. More information is at: https://hub.ki/groups/gmuai/overview Sincerely, James Olds - Former head of the Biological Sciences Directorate at NSF and University Professor of Neuroscience and Public Policy at the Schar School, George Mason University Stephen Fiore - Director, Cognitive Sciences Laboratory, and Professor with the University of Central Florida's Cognitive Sciences Program in the Department of Philosophy and Institute for Simulation & Training Jeff Krichmar - Professor in the Department of Cognitive Sciences and the Department of Computer Science at the University of California, Irvine Event facilitator: Stavros Michailidis, Knowinnovation, stavros.michailidis(a)knowinnovation.com Please send an email with any questions or if there are any issues with the above links and please include USAF 2030 AI in the subject line of all event inquiries. Jeff Krichmar Department of Cognitive Sciences 2328 Social & Behavioral Sciences Gateway University of California, Irvine Irvine, CA 92697-5100 jkrichma(a)uci.edu http://www.socsci.uci.edu/~jkrichma

April 11, 2018

REMINDER: Valentino Braitenberg Award for Computational Neuroscience - Call for Nominations

by Alexandra Stein

Dear Colleagues, The Bernstein Association for Computational Neuroscience invites nominations for the Valentino Braitenberg Award for Computational Neuroscience. The Bernstein Association for Computational Neuroscience presents the award biennially to a scientist in recognition of outstanding research that contributes to the understanding of the functioning of the brain. The major criterion for the award is the impact or potential impact of the recipient's research on the field of brain science. In the spirit of Valentino Braitenberg's own research, special emphasis is given to theoretical studies elucidating the functional implications of brain structures and their neuronal network dynamics. The awardee receives €5.000 prize money, donated by the Autonome Provinz Bozen Südtirol, as well as an invitation to the Bernstein Conference 2018 (including registration fee, travel- and accommodation expenses). The award will be presented together with a Golden Neuron pin in a special award ceremony at the Bernstein Conference, followed by a lecture of the Braitenberg Awardee. Nominations may be submitted by scientists working in the field of computational neuroscience and should include the following documents: - One-page laudation, in which the scientific work of the candidate is honored with regard to the award criteria - CV and list of publications Deadline for nominations is April 30, 2018 by email to a.stein(a)fz-juelich.de<mailto:a.stein@fz-juelich.de> Please note that self-nominations are not permitted. The call for nominations can be found under the following URL: www.nncn.de/en/bernstein-conference/2018/braitenberg_award<http://www.nncn.de/en/bernstein-conference/2018/braitenberg_award> For inquiries please contact a.stein(a)fz-juelich.de<mailto:a.stein@fz-juelich.de>. Best regards, Alexandra Stein -- Dr. Alexandra Stein Head of Bernstein Coordination Site Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience | Bernstein Coordination Site (BCOS) Branch Office of the Forschungszentrum Jülich at the University of Freiburg Hansastr. 9A | 79104 Freiburg, Germany phone: (+49) 0761 203 9583 mobile: (+49) 0151 67114645 mail: a.stein(a)fz-juelich.de<mailto:a.stein@fz-juelich.de> web: www.bernstein-network.de<http://www.bernstein-network.de> Twitter: NNCN_Germany YouTube: Bernstein TV Facebook: Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience, Germany LinkedIn: Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience, Germany ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH 52425 Juelich Sitz der Gesellschaft: Juelich Eingetragen im Handelsregister des Amtsgerichts Dueren Nr. HR B 3498 Vorsitzender des Aufsichtsrats: MinDir Dr. Karl Eugen Huthmacher Geschaeftsfuehrung: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Marquardt (Vorsitzender), Karsten Beneke (stellv. Vorsitzender), Prof. Dr.-Ing. Harald Bolt, Prof. Dr. Sebastian M. Schmidt ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

April 11, 2018

Three Postdoctoral or PhD positions in Stochastic Signal Processing/Computational Modelling fMRI/EEG

by Shankar Tumati

Three postdoctoral (or graduate) positions are available at the Mind, Brain Imaging & Neuroethics lab. The candidates should have strong background in brain imaging (fMRI, MRS, EEG/MEG, TMS) and preferably strong education in neuroscience/brain imaging, engineering, physics, and/or computational neuroscience for data analyses. The project focuses on resting state and its interaction with task-evoked activity in relation to mental features like self and consciousness in both healthy and psychiatric subjects where neuronal, electrophysiological and biochemical measures will be obtained. A specific focus will be on novel ways of dynamic and non-linear analyses of the brain imaging data in conjunction with computational modeling and signal processing analyses. Part of the project will be carried out in China at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou/China and, in part, in Ottawa/Canada as the PI has affiliations with both places. Hence, Chinese skills are of advantage but not a prerequisite for application. More information about our work can be found on the website: www.georgnorthoff.com For PhD candidates. Graduation at University of Ottawa (PhD) under the supervision of Dr. G. Northoff is possible. Salary for the postdoctoral candidates depends on qualifications and will be around 35.000 CAD to 70.000 CAD. Outstanding candidates may also qualify for faculty position in China. Candidates shall contact: Dr. G. Northoff: georg.northoff(a)theroyal.ca (website: www.georgnorthoff.com)

April 10, 2018

Recent paper on using Machine Learning to classify autism from schizophrenia

by Stephen Jose Hanson

Please find new Machine learning/Neuroimaging research. ?Neuroimage:Clinical Differences in atypical resting-state effective connectivity distinguish autism from schizophrenia Dana Mastrovito, Catherine Hanson, Stephen Jose Hanson Abstract Autism and schizophrenia share overlapping genetic etiology, common changes in brain structure and common cognitive deficits. A number of studies using resting state fMRI have shown that machine learning algorithms can distinguish between healthy controls and individuals diagnosed with either autism spectrum disorder or schizophrenia. However, it has not yet been determined whether machine learning algorithms can be used to distinguish between the two disorders. Using a linear support vector machine, we identify features that are most diagnostic for each disorder and successfully use them to classify an independent cohort of subjects. We find both common and divergent connectivity differences largely in the default mode network as well as in salience, and motor networks. Using divergent connectivity differences, we are able to distinguish autistic subjects from those with schizophrenia. Understanding the common and divergent connectivity changes associated with these disorders may provide a framework for understanding their shared cognitive deficits https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213158218300147?via%3Di… Stephen José Hanson Professor & Director Rutgers Brain Imaging Center (RUBIC) Cognitive Science Center (NB) Rutgers University

April 7, 2018

PRNI 2018: THE SUBMISSION DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO 18th APRIL, 2018

by Justin Dauwels (Assoc Prof)

PRNI 2018: THE SUBMISSION DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO 18th APRIL, 2018 ******* please accept our apologies for cross-posting ******* -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CALL FOR PAPERS AND TUTORIALS PRNI 2018: 8th International Workshop on Pattern Recognition in Neuroimaging to be held 12-14 June 2018 at the National University of Singapore, Singapore www.prni.org<http://www.prni.org/> - @PRNIworkshop - www.facebook.com/PRNIworkshop/<http://www.facebook.com/PRNIworkshop/> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 8th International Workshop on Pattern Recognition in Neuroimaging (PRNI) will be held at the Centre for Life Sciences Auditorium, National University of Singapore, Singapore on June 12-14, 2018.Pattern recognition techniques are an important tool for neuroimaging data analysis. These techniques are helping to elucidate normal and abnormal brain function, cognition and perception, anatomical and functional brain architecture, biomarkers for diagnosis and personalized medicine, and as a scientific tool to decipher neural mechanisms underlying human cognition. The International Workshop on Pattern Recognition in Neuroimaging (PRNI) aims to: (1) foster dialogue between developers and users of cutting-edge analysis techniques in order to find matches between analysis techniques and neuroscientific questions; (2) showcase recent methodological advances in pattern recognition algorithms for neuroimaging analysis; and (3) identify challenging neuroscientific questions in need of new analysis approaches. Authors should prepare full papers with a maximum length of 4 pages (two column IEEE style) for double-blind review. The PAPER submission deadline has been extended until WEDNESDAY, 18th APRIL 2018, 11:59 pm SGT. Accepted manuscripts will be assigned either to an oral or poster sessions. All accepted manuscripts will be included in the IEEE Xplore digital library. Similarly to previous years, in addition to full length papers PRNI will also accept short abstracts (word count not including the title, author list, tables, captions, or references) for poster presentation. Closing date: 04-MAY-2018 Open call for tutorial proposals: Finally, this year PRNI has an open call for tutorial proposals. A tutorial can take a form of 2h, 4h or whole day event aimed at demonstrating a computational technique, software tool, or specific concept. Tutorial proposals featuring hands on demonstrations and promoting diversity (e.g. gender, background, institution) will be preferred. PRNI will cover conference registration fees for up to two tutors per accepted program. The TUTORIAL submission deadline has been extended until WEDNESDAY, 18th APRIL 2018, 11:59 pm SGT Please see www.prni.org<http://www.prni.org/> and follow @PRNIworkshop and www.facebook.com/PRNIworkshop/<http://www.facebook.com/PRNIworkshop/> for news and details. [http://www3.ntu.edu.sg/cits2/CITS_web_resources/signature/img/ntulogo2.jpg] Assoc Prof Justin DAUWELS Associate Professor Deputy Director, ST Engineering - NTU Corporate Laboratory<http://ste-ntulab.ntu.edu.sg/> School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering 50 Nanyang Avenue, S2.2-B2-15, Singapore 639798 T 65-6790-5410 F 65-6790-9313 jdauwels(a)ntu.edu.sg<mailto:jdauwels@ntu.edu.sg> www.ntu.edu.sg<http://www.ntu.edu.sg/> ________________________________ CONFIDENTIALITY: This email is intended solely for the person(s) named and may be confidential and/or privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete it, notify us and do not copy, use, or disclose its contents. Towards a sustainable earth: Print only when necessary. Thank you.

April 7, 2018

CFP: The first International Workshop on Machine Learning in Clinical Neuroimaging (MLCN 2018)

by Mostafa Kia

*Dear Colleagues,We are delighted to invite you to join us for the MLCN 2018 <https://mlcn2018.com/> workshop as a satellite event of MICCAI 2018 conference, Granada, Spain. Call for PapersRecent advances in neuroimaging and statistical machine learning provide an exceptional opportunity for investigators and physicians to discover complex relationships between brain, behaviors, and mental and neurological disorders. MLCN 2018 <https://mlcn2018.com/> workshop, as a satellite event of MICCAI 2018 <http://www.miccai2018.org/en/>, aims to bring together researchers in both theory and application from various fields in domains of spatial statistics, pattern recognition in neuroimaging, and predictive clinical neuroscience. Topics of interests include but are not limited to: - Applications of spatio-temporal modeling in predictive clinical neuroscience- Spatial regularization in decoding clinical neuroimaging data- Spatial statistics in neuroimaging- Learning with structured inputs and outputs in clinical neuroscience- Multi-task learning in analyzing structured neuroimaging data- Deep learning in analyzing structured neuroimaging data- Model stability and interpretability in clinical neuroscienceCONFIRMED SPEAKERS: - Christos Davatzikos (University of Pennsylvania)- Gaël Varoquaux (Parietal team, INRIA)- Jian Kang (University of Michigan)SUBMISSION PROCESS:The workshop seeks high quality, original, and unpublished work on algorithms, theory, and applications of machine learning in clinical neuroimaging and spatially structured data analysis. Papers should be submitted electronically in Springer Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LCNS) style <https://www.springer.com/gp/computer-science/lncs/conference-proceedings-gu…> of up to 8-pages papers using the CMT system at https://cmt3.research.microsoft.com/MLCN2018 <https://mail.ru.nl/owa/redir.aspx?C=cF_JmZM8kIynrj31nweTMkQwN3oMG8T7g2yKH7j…>. This workshop uses a double-blind review process in the evaluation phase, thus authors must ensure anonymous submissions. Accepted papers will be published in a joint proceeding with the MICCAI conference.IMPORTANT DATES: - Paper submission deadline: June 11, 2018- Notification of Acceptance: July 16, 2018- Camera-ready Submission: July 23, 2018- Workshop Date: September 20, 2018Best regards,MLCN 2018 Organizing Committee,Email: mlcnworkshop(a)gmail.com <mlcnworkshop(a)gmail.com>Website: https://mlcn2018.com/ <https://mlcn2018.com/>twitter: @MLCN2018*

April 6, 2018

Open Research Associate Position in the Dept. of Psychiatry, Baylor College of Medicine

by Lopez, Camila

The Papageorgiou/Investigational Targeted Brain Neurotherapeutics Laboratory is seeking a highly motivated Research Associate to manage innovative research with a focus on neuromodulation and neurorehabilitative approaches using imaging-based neurofeedback. Our Laboratory focuses on the following areas: (i) to elucidate the mechanisms that guide plasticity following insult to the brain, by using structural, and functional measures; (ii) induce functional plasticity/reorganization of the brain by applying neurofeedback methods, such as real-time fMRI and EEG; (iii) develop optimization neurofeedback approaches via computational modelling; (iv) develop MR-compatible instruments that will assist in examining plasticity for our longitudinal studies. Our goal is to elucidate the mechanisms involved in cortical blindness, motor impairment, and chronic pain using highly quantitative methods, such as population receptive field, multivariate and univariate analyses. Equally important, our studies focus on a variety of innovative approaches, including neurofeedback in targeted and individualized regions of interest based on the patient's location and spatial extent of the lesion, optimization of rt-fMRI nFb methods with the long-term goal of central and peripheral nervous system injury neuro-rehabilitation. Required Qualifications: Ph.D. in Neuroscience, or Psychology or a related field. Masters degree in Neuroscience, or Psychology with 5 years of experience performing human study experiments will substitute for a PhD degree. The Research Associate is expected: • Manage clinical and basic science - fMRI and EEG studies. • Screen and schedule research volunteers. • Perform psychophysics, and behavioral assessments. • Complete study source documents and maintain study files. • Enter all data from research forms. • Perform statistical analysis and image processing. • Maintain compliance with HIPAA and IRB regulations and assist with IRB submissions. •Train undergraduate, and graduate students to run lab studies • Opportunities to contribute and write up scientific publications, including statistical analyses and graphical representation of data and writing. This position requires interfacing with patients: (i) during the recruitment phase; (ii) the experimental, MR scanning phase; and (iii) following up with patients as our studies are longitudinal. The candidate will have excellent interpersonal skills by focusing on solving conflict, maintain confidentiality, listen to others without interrupting, keep emotions under control, remain open to others' ideas in the team. The applicant MUST have the passion and motivation to manage these innovative scientific research studies. Apply: Please send a pdf or word CV, 3-4 references, and cover letter to Dr. Dorina Papageorgiou at papageor(a)bcm.edu<mailto:papageor@bcm.edu> Compensation commensurate with experience up to $50K. Baylor College of Medicine is an Equal Opportunity /Affirmative Action/Equal Access Employer.

April 6, 2018

PhD position at Bernstein Center Berlin available

by Benjamin Lindner

*Benefits of noise in the transmission and processing of time-dependent stimuli by populations of sensory neurons** * We are looking for a PhD candidate to work on signal processing in recurrent neural networks, especially information filtering of sensory signals and the functional role of intrinsic fluctuations and cell heterogeneity. These aspects of neural information processing will be explored by means of analytical calculations, numerical simulations of network models, and the comparison to experimental data (collaboration with Jan Benda, University Tubingen, Germany). In order to get an idea about similar approaches pursued in the past, have a look at our recent paper in PNAS [Grewe, Kruscha, Lindner, and Benda PNAS 114 E1977 (2017)]. The successful candidate should have a degree in physics, mathematics or computational neuroscience (a background in neurobiology is desirable but not obligatory), programming skills (C++, Python, LaTeX, Linux), an excellent command of the English language, good communication skills and team spirit. Funding is provided for three years, starting within the next six months. For details on the doctoral examination process at the Physics Department of Humboldt University Berlin, see https://fakultaeten.hu-berlin.de/en/mnf/wisskar/promotionen/index_html?set_…. Applications, including a letter of motivation, a CV, and a list of three potential referees should be sent by email to   me benjamin.lindner(a)physik.hu-berlin.de  (cc to nikola.schrenk(a)bccn-berlin.de)  The deadline for applications is April 18th 2018, however, later applications might also be considered. Kind regards, -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Benjamin Lindner Professor for Theory of Complex Systems and Neurophysics Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin Philippstr. 13, Haus 2, 10115 Berlin Room: 1.17, phone: 0049(0)302093 6336 Department of Physics Humboldt University Berlin Newtonstr. 15 12489 Berlin Room: 3.408, phone: 0049(0)302093 7934 http://people.physik.hu-berlin.de/~lindner/index.html --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

April 6, 2018

postdoctoral position

by Obermayer, Klaus, Prof. Dr.

Dear Moderator, can you please post this job announcement on the list? Thank you very much! Best regards Klaus Obermayer ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Postdoctoral Position in Computational Neuroscience Neural Information Processing Group, Fakultät IV, Technische Universität Berlin and Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Berlin, Germany Salary grade E13 (TV-L Berliner Hochschulen) Duration: max. 5 years Starting date: immediate Working field: The successful candidate is expected to join collaborative research projects at the interface of computational neuroscience and machine learning (decision making and reward based learning or neural dynamics). The position is also affiliated with the Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin (https://www.bccn-berlin.de/) and the candidate is welcome to participate in its scientific and training activities. Teaching responsibilities include the supervision of two tutorials per week during the semester associated with the courses taught by the Neural Information Processing Group. For more information about our current research projects see: http://www.ni.tu-berlin.de/. Requirements: Successfully completed university degree (Master, Diplom or equivalent) and doctoral degree in Computational Neuroscience, Computer Science or another MINT subject; very good knowledge of machine learning and Computational Neuroscience; experience in teaching (supervision of tutorials) is desirable; good command of the German and English language. How to apply: Please send your written application with the reference number (IV-178/18) and the usual documents to Technische Universität Berlin - Der Präsident - Fakultät IV, Institut für Softwaretechnik und Theoretische Informatik, FG Neuronale Informationsverarbeitung, Prof. Dr. Obermayer, Sekr. MAR 5-6, Marchstr. 23, 10587 Berlin or - preferably - by e-mail to klaus.obermayer(a)tu-berlin.de. Closing date: May 4th, 2018 To ensure equal opportunities between women and men, applications by women with the required qualifications are explicitly desired. Qualified individuals with disabilities will be favored. The TU Berlin values the diversity of its members and is committed to the goals of equal opportunities. Please send copies only. Original documents will not be returned.

April 6, 2018

Conference: “Missing links in neuroscience: Bridging scales in theory and experiment”, June 5/6 2018, Bonn

by Jakob Macke

Dear colleagues, We are happy to announce the 7th international caesar conference: “Missing links in neuroscience: Bridging scales in theory and experiment” / June 5th – 6th, 2018, at caesar Bonn. In addition to invited talks, the program will also include a poster-session and contributed talks which will be selected from submitted abstracts— deadline for submissions is May 1st. We especially encourage junior scientists to apply for contributed talks We will provide free childcare at the conference (subject to capacity limitations). Enquires about childcare should be addressed to Bettina.Bosse(a)caesar.de<mailto:Bettina.Bosse@caesar.de> Info and registration: www.caesarconference.com<http://www.caesarconference.com> Topic: Unraveling the principles by which neural circuits process information and guide behavior is one of the central problems of neuroscience. One of the main challenges is that neural information processing takes place on multiple temporal and spatial scales, ranging from subcellular processes in neurons and synapses up to the level of the behaving animal. Bridging these scales requires both experimental techniques which can monitor and probe the system at multiple levels of organization, as well as mathematical frameworks for interpreting experimental results and formulating testable theories. The caesar conference brings together scientists from experimental and theoretical neuroscience to discuss how observations and models of the nervous system at a multiple spatial and/or temporal scales can be integrated. We aim to foster discussions about how to bridge not only the relevant scales, but also how to link experimental data, numerical simulations and conceptual models. Invited speakers: Johann Bollmann Carlos Brody Andrea Bugalossi Eugenia Chiappe Mark Ellisman Rainer Friedrich Surya Ganguli Vivek Jayaraman Peter Jonas Judit Makara Hannah Monyer Eilif Muller Timothy O’Leary Manuela Schmidt Haim Sompolinsky Staci Sorensen Tim Vogels Claire Wyart Research center caesar (www.caesar.de<http://www.caesar.de>) is a center for neuroethology research operated by the caesar foundation, and is associated with the Max Planck Society. The organizing committee can be contacted via Bettina Bosse (bettina.bosse(a)caesar.de<mailto:bettina.bosse@caesar.de>). With best regards, Jakob Macke, Marcel Oberlaender, Bettina Schnell, Johannes Seelig Jakob Macke, TU Darmstadt and caesar Bonn www.mackelab.org<http://www.mackelab.org>

April 6, 2018